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    Home » 39 Years of Dedicated Service
    Sedona Fire District

    39 Years of Dedicated Service

    December 23, 2016Updated:December 29, 20161 Comment3 Mins Read
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    samaireformayor
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    logo_sedonafiredistrictSedona AZ (December 23, 2016) – In October 1978, a young man started his volunteer service as a firefighter at Sedona Fire District and that was Gary Johnson. As he aspired to further give to his community, he worked his way through the ranks of engineer, captain, and battalion chief, as well as achieving his Emergency Medical Technician certification. By 1991, he was the volunteer Assistant Chief which he remained until 1995 when he began to work full time for the Fire District as a Fire Inspector. Continuing his quest for advancement, Gary Johnson excelled in his role in fire prevention working his way into the role of Fire Marshal, a title he has held since 2011 and will retire with on January 5, 2017.

    “Gary Johnson has been an amazing part of the Sedona Fire District and our community. He has had his fingerprint on so much that has occurred here in the last 4 decades. Many even remember him as the person who delivered bread before being on the fire department and he did an excellent job at that from the stories I have heard,” said Fire Chief Kris Kazian.

    photo_garyjohnsonSedona Fire District is greatly appreciative of the 39 years of service Fire Marshal Johnson has given. He has worked on many projects, created safety programs, and developed a culture of fire prevention that is respected across the state. He has taught fire prevention classes at Yavapai College for more than 15 years. Gary has been responsible for writing grants and leading and mentoring many people in SFD and around the state.

    Fire Marshal Johnson has served as the Public Information Officer since 1999. Ironically, he writes most of our press releases, but staff allowed him to opt out of writing his own – this is just another great example of the many things Gary has been responsible for at SFD.

    Gary is a 40+ year resident of Sedona; he and his wife, Teresa, are looking forward to keeping active in Sedona upon his retirement. They love spending time with their grandchildren and family, and enjoy hiking around the red rocks. It is likely he will keep his involvement in teaching fire prevention classes and dabbling in fire prevention activities as well.

    “While we have known about Gary’s plan to retire for some time, we actually persuaded him to stay an extra 18 months or so. We are proud of him for all he has done for SFD and the community. I get constant praise for the customer service and support he provides to our community on so many levels. We wish him the best as he has earned this milestone. He has left SFD in good shape as we move forward, but we will certainly miss him,” Kazian said.

    The whole community is welcome to attend his walkout ceremony on his last official day with SFD at Station 1, 2860 Southwest Drive, January 5, 2017 at 3:00 PM followed by fellowship and storytelling.

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    1 Comment

    1. Felicitas von Ostau on January 2, 2017 10:07 am

      Dear Gary, congratulations to your well deserved retirement after all you have
      contributed to the community of Sedona.

      You might remember my name, because you mentioned that I was the first one
      for you to install the black key-box by my front door. Thank you for the suggestion.
      I hope that many others followed by doing the same.

      Enjoy your life with your family in good health and happy memories of your
      outstanding work.

      Happy New Year 2017,

      Felicitas von Ostau

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     THE MOMENT IS UPON US

    Dear Sedona,

    The moment is upon us. The time for a united effort to shift the focus back to our community is now.

    The ability to thrive in our community, our environment, our workforce, and the tourist industry, is entirely possible because we have all the resources needed for success.

    Still, we need a council that isn’t afraid to ask the hard questions, that makes decisions based on data and facts, and through discussion, rather than moving and voting in group unison as they so regularly do.

    This is my home. I have been a part of the Sedona community for 28 years. I witnessed the road debacle, the lack of planning, the city circumventing the local businesses ability to thrive, while making choices to expand the local government and be in direct competition with private industry.

    I am a unique candidate because unlike the incumbents, I don’t believe the government should expand in size, nor in operations, nor would I attempt to micromanage every aspect of our community.

    City government should stay in its lane and allow the competitive market of local private industry to prosper. And it should defend our community from corporate takeover and infiltration of our town.

    I do not agree that we should sign onto International Building Codes and regulations by signing Sedona up to the ICC. It is imperative that we remain a sweet, rural community.

    Where are the arts? Where is this organic thriving element that we allege to be animated by. Where is our culture? Where is our community?

    The discord between the decision making process and the desires of the community have never been more clear. It has been nearly a decade in the making.

    It is time for a new era of energy to take charge. An energy that is reflective in the ability to succeed rather than be trapped in out of date consciousness.

    It has been a great honor meeting with each of you. I hear your concerns over the insane and out of control spending and I echo them. A budget of $105,000,000 in a town of 9700 residents is completely unacceptable. A parking structure (that looks like a shoe box) originally slated to cost 11 million, now projected to cost 18 million, is incomprehensible. Especially, considering there is no intention of charging for parking.

    For those who are concerned that I lack the political experience within our established system- that is precisely what Sedona needs… Not another politician, but instead a person who understands people, who listens to the voices within the community, and who will act in service on their behalf with accountability, for the highest good of Sedona. What I am not, will prove to be an asset as I navigate the entrenched bureaucracy with a fresh perspective. Business as usual, is over.

    Creative solutions require new energy.

    Every decision that is made by our local government, must contemplate Sedona first.

    • Does this decision benefit the residents?
    • Does this decision benefit the local businesses?
    • Does this decision actually help the environment?
    • Will this decision sustain benefit in the future, or will it bring more problems?

    What we have now is a city government that expands to 165 employees for 9700 residents. Palm Desert has 53,000 residents and 119 city employees. Majority of our city department heads are not even in town. I find this problematic.

    Efforts towards championing in and courting new solutions for our medical needs are imperative. We are losing our doctors. We must encourage competition with other facilities rather than be held hostage by NAH, who clearly have their own set of dysfunctions.

    We must remember that so many move to Sedona for its beauty, hiking, and small town charm. Bigger, faster, and more concrete does not, in broad strokes, fit the ethos of Sedona.

    The old world must remain strong here in balance, as that is what visitors want to experience. Too many have noted that Sedona has lost its edge and charm.

    As Mayor I will preserve the rural charm of our community, and push back against the urbanization that is planned for Sedona.

    As mayor I will make it a priority to create opportunities to support our youth.  After school healthy, enriching programs should be created for our kids, and available to the Sedona workforce regardless of residency and regardless of school they belong to.

    As Mayor, I will create an agenda to deliberately embody the consciousness of our collective needs here, allowing private industry to meet the needs of our community rather than bigger government.

    I hope to have your vote on Aug 2nd. I am excited and have the energy to take on this leadership role with new eyes, community perspective, and the thoughtful consciousness that reflects all ages of the human spectrum.

    Thank you deeply for your consideration.

    Sincerely,

    Samaire Armstrong


    Heads or Tails
    By Tommy Acosta
    Let’s face it. I love conspiracy theories. The more far-out the better. Yup. I’m one of those. Looking at the Trump raid fiasco there can only be two theories that I see fit perfectly into the scenario that’s being weaved for public consumption. The first is that what is happening is actually being engineered by the forces that want Trump to return to the White House. Just like with the Russia-Russia thing, what is going to happen after all the hoopla,Trump will be found completely innocent just like before and he will be loved even more by his fans and followers. Those who tried to put him down will be chagrinned while those who supported him politically will be exalted. Republicans will be revived, and they will go out and vote in a new Congress and Trump will rule once again. Then there is the other side of the coin. Read more→
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